Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Fog and Fire
The bells.
They chimed in my ear like they had a personal vendetta, and I shot up from bed, blinking away the fog of sleep. The room was still dim, but the bells were relentless, echoing through the hall like a warning. I rubbed my eyes and dragged myself up, groaning as I pulled on my uniform. Another day, another chance to get roasted by Alistair.
I stumbled into the training hall just in time to see everyone else lining up. Alistair stood in front of us, his arms crossed, that classic no-nonsense look plastered on his face.
He eyed us one by one. "Today, there are no classes. Instead, you'll be training in the field."
I shot Galen a look, mouthing, So much better than class, right? He snorted, barely keeping a straight face.
Alistair continued, ignoring our little exchange. "Today's task will be different from yesterday's. I'll be grouping you into pairs, so you'll work together to complete the exercise."
He scanned us, then turned to Aiden. "Aiden, you'll sit this one out."
Aiden crossed his arms, his face scrunching up in a frown. "Why? I can handle whatever you're throwing at us today. You know that."
Alistair met his gaze with a raised brow. "I'm aware, but I'd like the others to have a fair chance. Consider this… an exercise in humility."
Aiden grumbled under his breath, probably swearing Alistair out in every language he knew, but he eventually stepped back, still glaring daggers at Alistair.
Once Aiden was settled into the sidelines, Alistair turned to the rest of us, rattling off the pairings. "Riona, you're with Kaelin. Galen, you're with Isolde. And Ethan… you're with Lira."
I shot Lira a thumbs up, grinning like I'd just won the lottery. She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. Good start, I thought. At least one of us doesn't hate the idea.
Alistair led us out into the field, where an eerie fog had started to creep across the grass. It wasn't thick enough to block our vision, but it was definitely strange, curling around our feet like it was alive.
"All right, listen up!" Alistair called out. "Your task today is simple. Each pair will face a creature in the fog. Your objective is to get past it and reach the bell at the far end of the field. First pair to ring the bell wins. Understood?"
I nodded along with the others, trying not to look too confident. How hard could it be to outsmart a fog monster?
"Remember," Alistair added, giving us a very pointed look, "teamwork is key. You'll need each other to get through this." He gave us a final, borderline-evil smile. "Good luck. You'll need it."
We spread out across the field, each pair facing a looming shape emerging from the fog. The creature Lira and I got was about twice my size, with twisted horns and glowing eyes. Its skin looked like shifting smoke, solid but constantly moving.
Lira looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Any brilliant ideas, fearless leader?"
I grinned, pretending to look confident. "Let's poke it and see what happens?"
She snorted. "Your funeral."
But before we could debate further, the creature lunged. We barely had time to dodge as it swiped a massive, smoky claw right where we'd been standing. I ducked to the side, grabbing Lira's hand and pulling her with me.
"Not sure poking it is gonna work," I said, breathless as we scrambled back.
"Oh, you think?" she shot back, rolling her eyes. "Maybe we should try actually hitting it?"
Across the field, I saw Riona and Kaelin trying the same approach. They were throwing spells and dodging left and right, but their creature seemed to just absorb everything like it was eating their magic.
I glanced back at ours, noticing something weird. "Look at its feet," I muttered to Lira.
She blinked, glancing down. "What about them?"
"They're not touching the ground," I whispered, realization dawning on me. "And every time we hit it, it just throws our attacks back. It's like… an illusion or something."
Her eyes lit up with understanding. "So… we just ignore it?"
"Exactly," I said, grinning. "Follow my lead."
We waited for our creature to swipe one more time, then stepped to the side, watching it pause, almost like it was running out of energy. With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders, and—ignoring every instinct that told me to run in the opposite direction—I walked straight through it.
The creature's form rippled around me like smoke, but it didn't hurt, didn't attack. I reached the other side, grinning back at Lira.
"See? Piece of cake."
She laughed, running to join me, and together we bolted to the bell at the far end of the field. We reached it at the same time, both of us grabbing the rope and ringing it with all the strength we had left.
The bell echoed across the field, and in that instant, all the creatures vanished. The fog started to thin, swirling away like it was never there. We stood there for a moment, catching our breath, and Lira, still grinning, jumped up and hugged me. I lifted her off the ground, holding her mid-air for a second before setting her down, laughing.
We turned around to see Alistair walking toward us, his expression hard to read. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the leftover fog started swirling again, thickening, and forming… something bigger.
I stared, wide-eyed, as the fog took shape, rising up into a towering figure, easily three times the size of the others. Its eyes blazed a deep, unnatural red, and I could feel the temperature around us drop.
"What the hell…?" I muttered, watching as the monster's form solidified.
Alistair's expression shifted, a flicker of shock crossing his face. Without a word, he stepped forward, lifting his hand and murmuring something under his breath. A dark cloud formed above him, swirling faster and faster until it shot down, enveloping the creature in tendrils of mist. With a low, rumbling roar, the monster dissolved back into fog, which the cloud absorbed and then drifted up, vanishing into the sky.
Alistair let out a slow breath, his gaze distant. He looked… shaken, like he hadn't expected that. Finally, he turned to us, his voice steady but with an edge of tension. "Training's over. Return to your dorms immediately. I'll… I'll speak with you all later about what just happened."
We all exchanged uneasy glances but didn't argue. As we started back toward the dorms, I noticed Alistair slipping away from the group, heading toward the far edge of the field.
Curiosity won out, and I trailed behind him, keeping to the shadows. He stopped in a secluded spot, pulling a small mirror from his coat. He muttered a few words, and the mirror glowed, showing the face of a stern-looking man with silver hair.
"Alistair," the man greeted him, his voice rough. "What is it?"
Alistair hesitated, glancing around as if making sure no one was watching. "Something went wrong today," he said, voice low. "The fog… it formed a creature on its own. It's a sign."
The man on the other end frowned. "You think it's him?"
Alistair nodded, his face grim. "Yes, I do. He's back. And these children… they're not ready."
Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Unspoken Truths
I crept through the halls, my footsteps careful and deliberate. The moonlight streamed through the windows, casting long, twisted shadows along the stone floor. The dorms were eerily quiet, the silence wrapping around me like a shroud. This was the first time I had ventured out like this, and I had no intention of being caught. Alistair had a way of keeping tabs on everyone, and I needed this to stay under the radar.
Approaching Riona's window, I knocked softly, my heart picking up a beat. The last thing I wanted was for her to turn me away or make this harder than it already was. We just started talking recently so I had no idea how she would react. She was the first person that came to my mind when I was thinking of who to go to for assistance in finding 'Him'.
After a moment, the window creaked open, and her tired eyes peered through the dark. The suspicion in her gaze was immediate, but there was also a trace of curiosity.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, her voice barely audible in the night.
I forced a grin, trying to appear more confident than I felt. "There's something I need to talk to you about. I would appreciate it if you opened up before Alistair catches me here and nails me to the wall."
Riona's expression didn't soften, but she opened the window enough for me to slip inside. I climbed through, feeling the cool night air rush in with me. Her room was just as neat as I imagined it would be—no surprises, no distractions. Just the essentials, just her.
I moved toward her bed and sat down next to her, but I kept a careful distance. It wasn't that she was standoffish; it was just that Riona liked her space, and I wasn't about to cross any lines.
"So," she started, eyeing me with a mix of amusement and suspicion, "you and Lira now, huh? That's nice."
I blinked, caught off guard by her words. This wasn't how I thought the conversation would start. "What are you talking about?" I stammered, a little confused. "Alistair paired us, not me. Besides, I'm here for something else."
Riona raised an eyebrow. "Something else?" she repeated, the curiosity in her voice sharpening.
"Yeah," I said, trying to regain my composure. "I overheard Alistair say something about 'him' being back and us not being ready to take him on. Do you have any idea about what he could've meant?"
Her eyes drifted toward the ceiling, her mind already working through the possibilities. "No, not really. Alistair was never the best at sharing important information," she admitted.
"I think we should do some digging around," I said, turning to face her fully. "You're a witch, right?"
Riona's lips twitched with mild amusement. "Most of us here are. The heartstone usually picks witches, warlocks or mages as its protector because we're the most powerful."
"Yeah, yeah," I replied, rolling my eyes. "You don't have to rub it in."
She studied me for a moment, her expression unreadable. "You're not a warlock?"
I shook my head. "I'm not."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Then what are you?"
I leaned back against the wall, a slight tension in my shoulders. "We'll talk about what I am later. For now, we need to know what's going on."
Riona snorted, lying down on her bed. "Ask Galen, then. He's usually keen on doing anything that he's not supposed to be doing. I'm pretty sure this qualifies as one of the things we shouldn't be doing."
I shook my head. "I don't want to involve him. He's a bit… extra. He'll take it too far and get us all in trouble."
Riona's expression turned to amusement, and she raised her hands in mock surrender. "Fair enough. Then why don't we just do it ourselves?"
"We could," I agreed, "but we would need backup in case we encounter 'him' first."
She thought about it for a moment, then casually suggested, "So Aiden, then? He'll be the best suited if we ever encounter trouble."
I groaned inwardly at the thought of Aiden. "Ewww, no. He'll make it all about himself and try to prove a point that he's better than the rest of us."
Riona stifled a laugh at my expression, but I wasn't kidding. Aiden's ego was something I wouldn't want to deal with alongside whoever 'he' was.
"Kaelin is still new," I said. "She wouldn't want to get herself into trouble in her first semester. I think that leaves us with Isolde or Lira."
Riona tilted her head. "I think Isolde would be better suited. Her ice mage powers would come in handy."
I hesitated. Isolde was powerful, but she also terrified me. "I agree," I said, "but she scares me. She's the type of person who can murder in cold blood and not break a sweat."
"Fair point. I guess we're down with Lira, then." Riona said sounding a bit disappointed. It really felt like she wanted anyone else other than Lira.
I nodded. "I've worked with her before. She'll be on board. Unless there's a reason why you don't want us to go for her."
Riona shrugged, unconcerned. "Nope. There isn't. Go ahead."
I stood up, stretching my arms. "Alright, thanks. I don't know how we could find out who 'he' is, but I think I know where to look. Give me a sec. Let me go brief Lira about our suspicions."
I made my way to the window, my heart pounding a little faster than it should've.
Just before I stepped out, I turned back to look at her. Riona had already settled back into her bed, her eyes closed, but I could feel her gaze linger on me, like she was watching me a little more closely than usual.
I pushed it out of my mind, it could be my subconscious playing tricks on me. I went out the window and before I could get to my dorm, I saw Kaelin.
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